Model Sleeper now takes 2 hours + to settle - pls help

[No2]

DD, 2.6 has always been a great sleeper, really good. Until just over 2 weeks ago when she started nursery (every day for a few hours - she seems to love it from what she and staff say). Since then, it has taken around 2 hours every night for her to fall asleep. Yesterday, I got so fed up of having to put her back to bed for the xth time(she literally gets up again the second I leave her room) I locked her door. This upsets her and I feel bad about it but I´m just fed up of the whole situation. PLEASE what can I do and if this is linked to starting nursery, how long will it take her to settle. She´s only getting around 10 hours sleep a day at the moment.

Could she be getting overtired? I'd try putting her to bed earlier tahn usual.

Whats she like at bedtime? Easy & placid or hyper? DS gets more hyper when he is v. tired.

I don´t think she´s overtired, no. Having an afternoon nap makes her even worse so I I´ve been trying to discourage that though she could sleep away the entire afternoon quite happily if left to her own devices. The whole bedtime routine goes just fine, just the second I leave the room she gets up. Since starting nursery she has also started to insist on going to sleep with the light on (along with 2 night lights).. But she´s never mentioned being frightened of monsters or anything else. Until recently she used to sleep in the pitch black.

Thanks for that really thorough message.

I´ve tried the rapid return for almost 2 weeks now (till locked door yesterday and tonight). Shouldn´t it have worked by now?

I like the idea of the CD story, def worth a try, but not sure if it will work. I tried reading her to sleep but she insisted on sitting up and looking at the pictures etc. so have given up on this.

Thanks!

FotM, yes I wonderd if she is disturbed by her dreams too, there must be alot of information to process when you start nursery, such a new routine for her, though she does clearly enjoy it. Hope things go ok with you.